Best Phony Phone Call of 2017 Bracket
Best Phony Phone Call of 2017 Bracket
You decide which prank call was the funniest of the year
The Stern Show phones were once again put to good use in 2017 with countless prank calls placed and laughs had. But we left it up to the fans to decide which phony phone call was the best of the year.
All this week, two different calls faced off each day with the one earning the most fan votes moving on to the next round. The championship round is now final, the votes have been counted, and the winner is …
Eric the Actor Calls Angry Political Guy!
Check out the audio for that call and every other call from this year’s tournament (below).
CHAMPIONSHIP
FINAL
#6 You Can’t Sell Chickens on Swap Shop – 44%
vs.
#8 Eric the Actor Calls the Angry Political Guy – 56%
You can’t sell chickens on Swap Shop but Stern Show fans sure have been voting for them. Richard and Sal’s prank call to the radio program now moves into the championship round!
Take a listen (below).
Stern Show fans have always held a special place in their hearts for Eric the Actor so it’s no wonder why he’s captured some of the biggest wins in this year’s bracket. His call to Angry Political Guy, made 15 years after Eric first called in to talk to Howard, is now a championship contender.
Take a listen (below).
Semifinals
FINAL
#2 Sal Governale Prank Calls His Dad – 37%
vs.
#6 You Can’t Sell Chickens on Swap Shop – 63%
Sal Governale is behind both calls in the second semifinal matchup. After years of telling Howard about his father and his belief that he invented pizza toppings, Sal dialed up his dad and made him believe they could sue any other pizza shop that used toppings without their consent.
Take a listen (below).
Along with his sidekick and fellow Stern Show staffer Richard Christy, Sal tried to sell some chickens on the radio program Swap Shop, no matter how many times they told him that wasn’t allowed.
Take a listen (below).
FINAL
#5 Are These Wind Chimes Annoying? – 28%
vs.
#8 Eric the Actor Calls the Angry Political Guy – 72%
Two upsets are moving on into the first semifinal matchup! Speaking of upset, Richard’s wind chimes weren’t quite as serene sounding to two radio hosts after he called to ask why his neighbors would be upset by the noise they make. Things got very loud, very fast.
Take a listen (below).
The perpetually upset Angry Political Guy didn’t disappoint when he received a phone call from the late, great Eric the Actor earlier this year.
Take a listen (below).
Quarterfinals
FINAL
#4 ‘Game of Thrones’ Shame Nun – 39%
vs.
#5 Are These Wind Chimes Annoying? – 61%
Cersei Lannister’s punishment turned into the Stern Show’s pleasure after sound clips of her “Game of Thrones” tormenter yelling “shame” were used to call a hardware store owner named Shane.
Take a listen (below).
Howard’s cohost Robin Quivers revealed in 2017 she’s become a fan of wind chimes, so much so that she owns several and places them all around her yard. But do her neighbors mind the noise the chimes must omit whenever a breeze comes along? Richard Christy called a radio show to see what they thought about some very, very loud wind chimes.
Take a listen (below).
FINAL
#3 Grandpa Ronnie Turns 68 – 38%
vs.
#6 You Can’t Sell Chickens on Swap Shop – 62%
Birthdays can be an exciting thing, but when Ronnie “the Limo Driver” Mund turned 68 this year, one lucky party store employee got to talk on the phone with him and witness just how much he enjoys being another year older.
Take a listen (below).
Of all the items Sal Governale and Richard Christy have ever tried to sell on Swap Shop throughout the years, who would’ve guessed that selling chickens on the radio program would present the biggest problem. Swap Shop can ban the sale of poultry but they can’t ban the two Stern Show staffers from trying.
Take a listen (below).
FINAL
#2 Sal Governale Prank Calls His Dad – 67%
vs.
#7 Howard Wants to Play the Name Game – 33%
Stern Show staffer and master prank caller Sal Governale grew up working with his father in their family’s pizzeria, hearing countless stories of how his dad invented such things as putting toppings on pizza, making pizzas round, or cutting triangular slices.
“I was the first one to do it!” Mr. Governale told his son during a recent call. That’s when Sal tricked him into thinking he was talking to an attorney willing to take his pizza lawsuit all the way to court.
Take a listen (below).
Even with a greeting of “Hello, sweet love,” there weren’t too many women willing to play the Name Game with Howard over the phone. Asking kids to sing along has always worked for the King of All Media in the past but he had no such luck in these three phony phone calls.
Take a listen (below).
FINAL
#1 Howard Pitches Kermit Stories – 24%
vs.
#8 Eric the Actor Calls the Angry Political Guy – 76%
When the Muppets Studio decided to part ways with its longtime Kermit the Frog puppeteer due to “unacceptable business conduct,” Howard and Robin talked about the scandal on the Stern Show. Some of the best lines from that day’s on-air conversation were later taken to call into a spiritual radio show whose hosts weren’t so sure Howard’s outlandish storyline pitches were a good fit for the little green amphibian.
Take a listen (below).
In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Eric the Actor’s first call to the Stern Show, some archival clips of the late, great Wack Packer were used to prank the always amusing but never amused Angry Political Guy on his own internet radio show.
Take a listen (below).